Black History Month has had no shortage of shameful mishaps, especially when it comes to lawmakers and fashion brands. Katy Perry’s clothing line is the latest to pull attire depicting blackface from store shelves, according to Complex.
First Prada, then Gucci, and now Katy Perry. When Black people said we want more black faces in the fashion industry, this is not what we meant. pic.twitter.com/PifTg76PZD
— Christopher Bouzy (spoutible.com/cbouzy) (@cbouzy) February 11, 2019
Perry’s brand, Katy Perry Collections, carries two items, “Rue Face Slip-On Loafers” and the “Ora Face Block Heel Sandal,” which have facial features on them. At least one of the shoes also comes in beige, but the black shoe, of course, resembles blackface.
“In order to be respectful and sensitive the team is in the process of pulling the shoes,” a source “close to Perry” told TMZ.
Prada and Gucci both recently drew the public’s ire for releasing merchandise resembling blackface. In December, Prada came out with offensive keychains and figurines. Gucci faced criticism last week over a black turtleneck sweater.
https://twitter.com/sadsxnsets/status/1094226950141431809
Spike Lee, T.I., and Soulja Boy have all announced that they are boycotting the fashion labels. Many online have made the suggestion to support Black-owned luxury brands like Undra Celeste and Fear of God instead.
Instead of simply boycotting #Gucci, I’d recommend supporting Black-owned luxury brands like #FearofGod by Jerry Lorenzo, and #OffWhite by Virgil Abloh.
— Stef. 👨🏾💻 (@STEFisDOPE) February 9, 2019
These two, their growth, and their taste levels have been major creative/business inspirations for me. pic.twitter.com/uNMbSyucti
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H/T Complex